Silver's Good Enough For Me
by F.D. Tamms
Summary: COMPLETE! Mrs. Lovett cleans the barbershop and finds something that she believes will unite her and Sweeney Todd forever. Her plan backfires when that something turns out to be something that dredges up painful memories for Sweeney Todd.
1. Chapter 1

"Mr. T! I've brought you some lunch!"

He opened the door with his usual sour look. "I don't want it," he grumbled.

She hadn't really expected him to—after all, he was never grateful for anything she did. "I know, Mr. T, but if you don't eat you'll die."

He gave her a grumpy look. "Mrs. Lovett," he growled, "do you honestly think I don't know that?"

She ignored his statement and pushed past him into the barbershop. She brought the food over to the chest in the corner where she set it down. When the metal of the tray touched the wood of the chest, dust flew in all directions. Mrs. Lovett sneezed.

"Mr.T!" She coughed. "This place is a mess!"

He had lingered in the doorway and stood with his arms crossed. "I don't care," he said simply.

She looked at him incredulously. "But Mr. T! Your customers will care, won't they?"

He rolled his eyes. "I doubt my customers worry about the cleanliness of my establishment. They're usually too busy dying."

She had to admit, he had a point. But she wasn't going to give up on him. "Oh, Mr. T, that's not the point! You want them to think you run a respectable establishment before they die, don't you?"

He muttered something under his breath, something that sounded like "says the woman with the cockroaches".

She ran a finger over the chest and, when she looked at it, saw that it was coated in dust.

"That's not right, Mr. T." She turned to face him, her hand on her hips. "I'm going to clean this room up."

He stared at her. "You're going to what?" He asked.

"Clean. This place is filthy; it's unfit to live in."

He laughed humorlessly. "I don't think so," he said.

"I do. Start moving stuff out onto the balcony so I can do it properly."

He didn't move. She really had nothing to threaten him with—he didn't care about food, or laundry, or anything she could offer him.

Or did she?

"If you do it, I won't talk for the rest of the day."

Wordlessly, he began pushing things out onto the balcony.

The day was a gray and cloudy, but uncharacteristically warm.


	2. Chapter 2

Mrs

Mrs. Lovett figured that, because the day was warm, things would dry quicker.

She brought three pails of water, several rags (for scrubbing), and one scraggly mop upstairs with her on her second trip upstairs.

Sweeney Todd had moved everything out onto the balcony—there hadn't been that much to move, but the balcony was small and so it was quite cramped.

When she entered the shop he was seated in the barber chair.

"Mr. T, are you going to help me clean?" She asked incredulously.

He gave her a sour look. "Of course not," he said. Then a smirk crept over his face. "Why are you talking?"

Mrs. Lovett sighed heavily. "I'll be done talking in just a second." She cocked her head to one side. "But I talk to myself, so maybe you should go somewhere…?"

He left without a word.

She was so used to his abuse that his remarks and reactions didn't bother her at all.

Mrs. Lovett sang to herself as she cleaned. It was messy work; dirt and dust caked the front of her dress after only an hour of cleaning. She had to go and get fresh water twice.

But she was happy to be doing something for him. And she was used to hard work.

When she got down on her hands and knees to scrub to floor, she could swear she saw something that glittered in the corner.

She crawled over to the source of the glitter.

It was a necklace, or it looked like a necklace. It was made of something silvery, but it was so tarnished that what it really was a mystery.

Mrs. Lovett looked at it lovingly. She loved jewelry, but didn't have any of her own—there had never been any money for it.

She pocketed the necklace and went back to scrubbing.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, everyone

**Er…I don't know if baking soda existed in Victorian London. **

Mrs. Lovett's back and arms were aching by the time she was satisfied with her cleaning job.

It was late afternoon and she had seen neither hide no hair of Sweeney Todd since she had mentioned her habit of talking to herself.

She left all of the contents of his shop out on the balcony—she figured that he would return them inside when he felt it necessary.

She brought all of her cleaning supplies downstairs in one trip—quite the feat, seeing as she had brought so many things up with her. After putting them all away in their proper places, she set to work cleaning the necklace.

She supposed it was silver; it certainly felt heavy enough to be silver.

Mrs. Lovett's mother had taught her how to clean tarnish with baking soda, and so that was what she used.

She filled a pail with water and grabbed a container of baking soda that she had stored in the pie shop. Seating herself in a booth, she went to work.

Mrs. Lovett rubbed and polished and cleaned the bauble at the end of the necklace with immense care. The tarnish began rubbing away quickly.

The actual chain of the necklace cleaned up very nicely, but the bauble required extra work. Mrs. Lovett scrubbed and polished it until she could see her reflection in it.

After working on it for quite a while, Mrs. Lovett could tell what the design was: the bauble was an intricately crafted silver sun. Or a ball of light. A star, maybe. Whatever it was, it was lovely. Mrs. Lovett couldn't stop staring at it.

She slid the chain over her head and shivered as the cold silver touched her skin. The necklace was quite long; the sun rested delicately just over the bodice of her dress.

She went into her bedroom to examine herself in the mirror.

The necklace looked was quite flattering. She turned every which way to see how it looked from every angle.

As she modeled, she heard a door slam somewhere—whether it was her own door or the barbershop door, she wasn't certain.

But she knew that the slammer was probably Sweeney Todd, and so she set off to find him.


	4. Chapter 4

She quivered at the notion that his hand was so close to her chest

**In Isn't Love Grand I was bothered by how out of character my Sweeney was, so I tried to make him more in character in this story (i.e. really angry).**

She found him on the balcony. He was trying to push the fragmented mirror back into the shop. "Hold the door open for me," he demanded.

Mrs. Lovett nodded and did as she was told. She held open the door to the barbershop and moved so that he could push the mirror inside of it. When he was satisfied with its placement, he turned to look at her.

His eyes widened when he spotted the necklace.

He moved swiftly, his hand reaching out to snatch the bauble off of her chest. She could tell he was angry, but wasn't sure of why.

She quivered at the notion that his hand was so close to her breasts.

He held the bauble deftly, turning it over and over in his hands. Anger and sadness twisted his expression.

"This…where did you get this?" He asked, his voice controlled. But she knew that he was seething inside.

She swallowed. He saw her do it, and it only enraged him further. "Where did you get this?!" He snarled, anger warping his voice so that it was almost inhuman.

"I found it," she whispered. She was frightened, that had to be said. "I found it when I was cleaning the shop."

He stared at her, incredulity blooming in his eyes. He didn't believe her. She could tell.

"Found it where?" He whispered, his voice deadly. Mrs. Lovett pointed towards the corner of the room near where the desk usually was. He followed her fingers and, almost immediately, turned back to stare into her eyes. "You're lying," he hissed.

Mrs. Lovett shook her head. "No," she whispered. "No, no, I'm not lying."

His fist tightened around the bauble of the necklace and she squeaked in protest. He yanked her closer to him. "You're lying."

"I'm not!" She protested. "I was cleaning when I saw it in the corner. I washed I and polished it and put it on right before you came home."

She willed his eyes to look deeply into hers and see that she was telling the truth. As the thought crossed her mind he stared into her eyes.

"This…take it off right now." His voice was slightly calmer than it had been, but she could tell he was still angry. She slid the necklace off over her head and placed it into his outstretched hand.

He turned away from her and stroked the bauble absently.

"Er…Mr. T?" Mrs. Lovett knew that she was being stupid—he would either become upset with her again or he would ignore her. Neither option was a good one, but she couldn't help being curious.

"Yes?" He responded coldly.

Mrs. Lovett swallowed. "What is that?"


	5. Chapter 5

**I researched this and Lucy actually does mean what I say it does in the story.**

"_Ooh, Benjamin, it's beautiful."_

_Lucy's smile was like a thousand rays of sunlight. Benjamin Barker had been flushed and embarrassed that she'd been so pleased with his gift. _

_It was a necklace, and something he had researched thoroughly. He had wanted to give her a gift with meaning—the word "Lucy", he had discovered, meant "light", and so he had it set in his mind that he would give her a present that exemplified her name. Plus, she was his light. It was a fitting idea for gift._

_The necklace was lovely. He had bought it from a street vendor at the market. It was silver, fine silver, with a bauble at the end in the shape of a ball of light. He had known from the moment he saw it that it was the perfect gift. _

_And then, as he saw her gaze at it in wonder with a hugely pregnant belly and a smile that warmed his very soul, he knew he had been right._

_The perfect gift for the perfect wife and the soon-to-be perfect mother._

"_Put it on for me?" She'd asked sweetly. He'd obliged with pleasure. He'd opened the clasp at the back and watched as the silver slid down her slender neck. She'd looked at herself in their large mirror._

"_It looks lovely. I'll never take it off," she'd said._

"Mr. T?" Mrs. Lovett asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Sweeney Todd looked at her as though noticing she was there for the first time. He had been completely immersed in his thoughts.

"_I'll never take it off."_

At the time, he had taken her words to heart. But now…he knew somehow that Mrs. Lovett was telling the truth about the necklace. But if she was telling him the truth, then why had the necklace been in a heap on the floor in the corner? Had Lucy cast it aside after he had been taken away? Had she never really liked it after all?

"Mr. T?"

He found Mrs. Lovett irritating most of the time, but right now she was **really **irritating him.

"Leave," he said quietly.

"But—"

"LEAVE!" He yelled at her. When he looked at her, he saw a thousand kinds of hurt in her eyes. But she left.

He was left to wallow in his own despair, clutching the necklace and wondering about Lucy.


	6. Chapter 6

Mrs. Lovett didn't know what she had been thinking.

Well actually, she did know what she had been thinking.

She'd thought that maybe, when Sweeney Todd saw her wearing the necklace, he would think she was beautiful. He would fall madly in love with her and they would be united forever.

It had been a silly idea. No, a ridiculous idea. Something only a child would think was possible.

As she sat in the pie shop, cleaning her already spotless counter, Mrs. Lovett thought about the necklace. He hadn't told her anything about it, but she thought it might have something to do with Lucy.

He only reacted as angrily as he had just then when the situation was related to Lucy.

"Maybe it was her necklace," she muttered, talking to herself again. That seemed plausible. But why had the necklace been where it was?

* * *

Why had the necklace been where it was? The question was driving Sweeney Todd crazy—or, more crazy than he already was.

He kept turning the scene over and over in his mind. Lucy's face when she had received the necklace.

She had been happy. Her face had been one of bliss.

She hadn't been pretending.

A slight grin crept over his face as he imagined her smile. The grin lingered even when the image of Lucy smiling faded to an image of Mrs. Lovett smiling.

Earlier that day, Mrs. Lovett had looked so happy—he realized now it was probably because she had been wearing the necklace. A slight twinge of guilt muddled his thoughts as he pictured her face falling when he took it away from her.

_No, no, no, _he thought_. Don't think about her. What's important is figuring out what happened to the necklace that allowed Mrs. Lovett to get a hold of it in the first place._

There she was, invading his thoughts again. He shook his head to clear his mind. _What's important is figuring out what caused Lucy to let go of the necklace, _he thought._ Mrs. Lovett is unimportant in this matter._

It bothered him that Lucy had taken off the necklace. The fact that Mrs. Lovett had been wearing it was a minor concern.

Lucy had worn it all through their marriage. The last time he'd seen her, before he was shipped off, she had definitely been wearing it. He remembered it vividly.

Had she cast it aside, ashamed of the husband who had given it to her? He could think of no other explanation for its location other than that.

Maybe it was a coincidence. He liked to think of it that way, for he didn't want his memory of Lucy to be tainted.

But if Lucy had indeed thrown the necklace away, then he didn't want it. It would be a constant reminder of her betrayal.

But what could he do with it?


	7. Chapter 7

**I researched this, and "Nellie" (Mrs. Lovett's first name—I don't think I've ever used it before) means what I say it does in this story.**

It was rather late when he entered the pie shop, the necklace resting heavily against his hip. Mrs. Lovett wasn't around; she could have been asleep, for all he knew.

It didn't matter. Somehow he knew that she wouldn't mind being woken up if he was the one doing it.

He found her in her parlor, sleeping in an armchair. The room was barely lit—the fire in the fireplace was dying and dying fast. A book—_The String of Pearls: A Romance_—was resting in her lap. He took her shoulder and shook it gently.

She woke with a start.

"Mr. T?" She asked groggily, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "What're you doing up?" The question culminated in a giant yawn.

He felt ridiculous. "I've brought something for you," he said quietly.

She sat up a little straighter. "For me?" She asked, her voice slightly suspicious.

"Mmm." He said, monosyllabic as always.

A smile spread over her face. "What is it?"

He knelt down beside her and produced the necklace from his pocket. It glittered in the dying light of the fire. Mrs. Lovett's eyes widened. "This is…you're giving it to me?"

He nodded grimly. Mrs. Lovett was in total disbelief. He took her hand and placed the necklace in it. "I have no use for it," he murmured quietly. She continued to stare at him, openmouthed. "Thank you," she said suddenly. He nodded.

He rose silently, then turned away from her to head back upstairs. When he was almost out the door she spoke. "Wait."

He did, though he didn't want to. "Could you put it on for me?" She asked sheepishly.

He sighed heavily but obliged, knowing that it wasn't necessary for him to help her, because she had gotten it on without his help earlier.

Mrs. Lovett rose from her chair and positioned herself so that she was directly in front of him.

He took the necklace and opened the clasp.

It slid down her pale skin in a way it hadn't for Lucy. It seemed almost wrong that such beauty was applied to Mrs. Lovett, who was almost frightening.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"Mmm."

He was nearly out the door when she spoke again. "Why?" Her voice was honestly curious, but sadness shone through the curiosity.

He frowned, thinking about the meaning of the necklace. "Light".

"Because…you are my light." he said. After the words escaped his lips he instantly regretted them. He didn't like to give her false hope. But he also realized something that surprised him.

The words were true.

He left her there, in the glowing parlor.

* * *

Mrs. Lovett was shocked and surprised and extremely pleased with the events that had transpired. She fingered the necklace with a smile on her face. "Ooh…" she whispered. "How did Mr. T know that my name…how did he know that "Nellie" means light?"

It didn't really bother her that the necklace might have once belonged to Lucy. It didn't bother her that she was silver to Lucy's gold. Mr. Todd seemed to like silver very much, if his razors were any indication.

"Ooh, Mr. T…"she smiled and repeated what she had said the day he had returned. "Silver's good enough for me…"

**Damn. I forgot to put the furniture back in the barbershop. Um…let's pretend Mr. Todd put it away while he was deciding whether or not to give Mrs. Lovett the necklace, okay?**


	8. Chapter 8

_Lucy sat forlornly gazing out the window, as she had done every day since her husband's arrest. The evening was cloudy and gray, and so there was nothing to look at, not really, but she looked anyway. _

_Johanna was sitting on her lap, cooing good-naturedly, her happy smile proving that she was completely oblivious to the cruelty of the world. _

_As Lucy watched the people mulling about on Fleet Street, Johanna began to play with her necklace. "Oh! Johanna, darling, what are you doing with my necklace?"_

_Johanna giggled happily as her tiny fingers stroked the beautiful bauble. Lucy reached one hand over her neck and pulled the necklace over her head. _

"_Here," she said sweetly. "Play with it. But be gentle. This is mommy's precious, precious thing." _

_Johanna giggled as she played with the chain and the bauble. _

_They sat there for a while, Lucy watching Johanna but thinking about Benjamin. She missed him so completely and utterly that it felt like there was a hole in her chest where her heart should have been. She knew he would never return—he was to be in Australia for life. _

_She hated Judge Turpin for what he had done, though hating wasn't in her nature. It was true that he had been kind to her ever since Benjamin had been shipped off, but he had offered no explanation for the sentence and so she could not forgive him. _

_He hadn't even properly apologized._

_A knock on the door interrupted Lucy's reverie. _

"_Mrs. Barker?" The voice of Mrs. Lovett could be heard from the other side of the door. _

"_Come in," Lucy called. She was glad to have some company. She liked Mrs. Lovett very much._

_Mrs. Lovett came in looking weary and suspicious. Her hair was in disarray as usual, her dress covered in flour. "The Beadle's downstairs." She said, contempt in her voice._

_Lucy sighed heavily. "What does he want?"_

_Mrs. Lovett frowned. "You. Apparently the "honorable"—"he voice was sarcastic, ironic—"Judge Turpin has got something to say to you regarding Mr. Barker."_

_Lucy was surprised. She had only just been thinking about an apology from the Judge and now he was offering one? Or maybe it wasn't an apology. Maybe he was calling her to tell her that Benjamin was coming home…she could only hope._

"_Mrs. Lovett, would you stay with Johanna?" She asked. _

_Mrs. Lovett looked shocked and angry. "You're going to go with him?" she asked incredulously._

_Lucy nodded. "He might need to tell me something important," she said simply. _

_Lucy stood up, thrusting Johanna into Mrs. Lovett's arms. "Mrs. Barker…no, Lucy…you can't go with him. Who knows what that perverted old Judge'll do to you in that house of his…"_

_Lucy frowned at her. "I'm not worried about that," she said firmly. _

_Mrs. Lovett opened her mouth to say something else but Lucy held up a hand, silencing her. "Johanna, you be good for Mrs. Lovett, alright?" Johanna giggled as her mother kissed her. _

_Mrs. Lovett watched them sadly._

"_Thank you," Lucy said seriously to Mrs. Lovett, who merely sighed._

_Lucy left, not thinking about how she had left her necklace behind. Benjamin himself was more important than what he had left behind._

* * *

"_Fool," Mrs. Lovett whispered to her retreating figure. "Poor, naïve fool. Well…c'mon, dearie. Let's go downstairs and get you some nice warm milk, huh?" _

_Johanna cooed happily at the promise of warm milk._

_Mrs. Lovett held Johanna so that she was peering over her shoulder. As they began to leave the barbershop, Johanna's tiny hands dropped the necklace. _

_It bounced across the floor before landing heavily in the corner. _


End file.
